Opposition admits defeat before impeachment

Manila, Philippines  Philippine lawmakers overwhelmingly defeated the latest impeachment bid against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today. But her opponents vowed not to abandon their effort to oust her.

The House of Representatives, dominated by Arroyo allies, voted to uphold a ruling last week by its justice committee to dismiss the impeachment complaint.

The vote prevented a potentially explosive trial in the Senate, an opposition stronghold, on allegations of vote-rigging, corruption, human rights abuses and violations of the Constitution.

Arroyo has four years left in the six-year term she won in 2004. She survived an initial impeachment bid in September, but the protests and coup rumors that have dogged her have persisted. She declared a weeklong emergency in February after loyal generals quashed a brewing coup.